In order to stay open for business, Winnebago County may force liquor-serving bars to keep their doors closed.

Some Winnebago County Board members are coming down on the Two Wheel Inn, a motorcycle bar northwest of city limits.

Members of the county’s Liquor Control Committee say they’d like the Two Wheel Inn and — at best guesstimate — another 10 or so bars escaping other municipal boundaries to keep their doors closed.

They agree that the bar at 4433 Auburn St. is to blame, causing too much noise for the neighborhood.

“They’ve been asked several times by the county to keep their doors closed,” said Fred Wescott, the Republican County Board member representing District 17 and a liquor commission member. “We’ve been dealing with complaints for several years now.

“They’re not adhering to the requests by the county to take the noise down to a level that the neighbors don’t complain. It’s just become a nuisance.”

The committee is looking at a proposed ordinance with this wording: “WHEREAS, it will serve the public good, and is in the best interests of the citizens of Winnebago County, to require the exterior doors to buildings on licensed premises in which alcoholic liquor for consumption of the premises is taking place to remain closed, except for the purposes of ingress and egress to and from those buildings, while such establishments are open for business.”

Roy Glasgow, the Two Wheel Inn’s bartender, said a law enforcer came by recently and told him to keep the doors closed even though no music was playing.

“It was nice enough to have the doors open,” he said, remembering the 70-degree day. Glasgow said he’s been trying to keep the doors shut ever since. If the county’s ordinance becomes law, “it’s going to get stuffy.”

Neighborhood reaction was mixed when they learned of the county’s proposed ordinance.

Percie Ellis, 66, lives on nearby Arthur Avenue. If Two Wheel Inn keeps its doors closed, more harmony could come to the neighborhood, he said. These days, he knows of some neighbors who are quite upset with the noise levels.

“It gets kind of loud at times,” Ellis said. “That would help.”

Belvidere resident Ned Murad is a cashier at the Mobil gas station across the street from the Two Wheel Inn. Because the neighbors can hear the music at night, Murad said he supports the county’s ordinance.

Page 2 of 2 - County Board member L.C. Wilson lives less than a mile from the bar. He said the county sent the bar a letter about a month ago, warning the owner to make sure his clientele was on its best behavior.

Wilson rattled off his complaints against the bar before that time: Loud music, live bands playing, smoke bombs going off and cars doing donuts in the parking lot.

County officials had suggested the bar close its doors.

“They absolutely refused to do that,” Wilson said. “I don’t have anything against them. They’re a business. I recognize that I’ve been trying to deal with this since 2006 and just got nowhere.”